“The Broken Heartbreakers wish to introduce themselves to the living room of your interior life and rearrange the furniture ….
Every now and then in the earthly realms we catch a glimpse of a magic creature that has stepped out from the concrete walls and hard angles that surround us on all sides. Just for a moment, we catch that feeling of what it means to be alive. Yes. It's one of those records. It's country music for the bus down-town, spiritual music for top shelf believers, psychedelic music for those on the come down, rock and roll music for the thin hours when the only way you can tell you're real is by holding tight to the bones under your skin. Falling to pieces never felt so good. The only note of caution is that you may never want to get over it.â€
Mike Irwin – Baldwin St, Dunedin.
The Broken Heartbreakers are an Auckland-based “folk-pop†group. They started life in 2002 when song-writer John Guy Howell teamed up with singer Rachel Bailey, and the nucleus of the group was formed. To their surprise, the band’s repertoire of songs of “love, loss and lonesome nights†soon garnered a loyal following beyond the usual friends and family circuit. As their popularity has grown, the group has been chuffed to play at the bass player’s brother’s wedding and to support such international acts as Lou Barlow and The Handsome Family.
Their self-titled sophomore album is a labour of love.
In its making, The Broken Heartbreakers boldly chose to turn up their collective noses at today’s digital recording methods. As a result, their album was produced using only vintage analogue technology and was recorded and mixed to tape in “real timeâ€. Real performances by real people.
No digital effects were used in the making of this record. Plate reverbs, echo chambers and butt-burning valve amplifiers informed and enriched every loving detail.
See the latest blog entry for a sample of reviews, but here are just a few highlights:
"An 11 track gem that ticks all the right boxes when it comes to crafting perfectly formed country and folk-pop songs."
**** ½ stars
Otago Daily Times
"a gorgeous album...soft but with substance, sonically rich and beautifully performed."
Nick Bolliger, Radio New Zealand
"desert-dry wit, and melodies sturdy enough to hang your hat on"
Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times
"Intelligent, heartfelt, aching and entrancing. Wonderful album."
Best of Elsewhere 2007
Graham Reid
**** stars
NZ Herald
"The Broken Heartbreakers emerge with their own unique approach that immediately captivates you."
Waikato Times
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